Dorking Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 April 2026

Children love their time in this happy, busy nursery school. They arrive full of beans and excited to see their teachers and friends. Staff welcome them with friendly smiles and words of encouragement. They establish warm and nurturing relationships with children and provide kind, sensitive and skilful support for those who need a bit more reassurance. Children grow rapidly in confidence and self-esteem because they feel valued and heard. Staff provide a wealth of carefully considered activities which are designed to capture children’s interest. This means that children are keen to get started when they arrive and are soon engrossed in what they are doing. Their enjoyment of all that the school has to offer means that they attend very well. Indeed, sometimes they are reluctant to leave school at the end of their session! Children behave extremely well. They learn how to play with others and are kind to each other. Staff model the good behaviours they expect of everyone, such as sharing, turn-taking and saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and children follow their lead. Staff sort out any behaviour issues with care and sensitivity. Parents and carers have absolute confidence in the school to take good care of their children. Children learn extremely well. They make impressive progress across all areas of the curriculum. Leaders consider children’s individual needs and starting points carefully. They work closely with parents and agencies to ensure the right support is in place, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, these children, along with others with barriers to their learning, also make very positive progress. Many parents were keen to tell inspectors about the significant progress their children have made since joining the school, and rightly so. Children are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that staff know the precise learning focus of each activity so that interactions with children are used consistently well to develop and reinforce key knowledge and vocabulary.
• Leaders should maintain their focus on ensuring consistently strong standards across all areas of the school’s work.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)